


Black Ties and White Lies

by orphan_account



Category: Don’t Starve (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Consent, Eventual Smut, Fluff, M/M, Modern AU, Smut, mentions of depression
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 11:19:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17223059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: - Modern day AU-Wilson Higgsbury, a 36 year old struggling scientist has found himself in poverty and struggling with depression, but when he meets a rather wealthy and strange man by the name of Maxwell Carter who seems to have a fascination with him, he wonders if this is he way out of poverty or if it’s instead a way out of loneliness.





	1. Genesis

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you for clicking on my story and I do hope you enjoy it. Many chapters will be very long, but Chapters 1-3 will be the longest since they are setting the story off. Some chapters may contain sex scenes or actions that may seem NSFW so you have been warned. I hope you enjoy!

The room was dim, only barley lit from a small desk lamp that was seated upon a rickety table. The table was older and sometimes the legs would fall off to which it’s owner would be forced to replace them. It had dark holes on its face and scratches here and there from the various tool that it’s owner would place upon it. The table had been through so much with him. It was damaged, old, and would give out completely soon enough, but he loved that table. It was sentimental to him almost, which was odd since it was only a mere table, but he didn’t care. It was his. 

The clock in the corner of his living room ticked slowly until it’s black hands struck the number twelve and signaled midnight. A loud groan escape the lips of the male as he glanced up from his readings and shot a glare at his clock. He was probably the only person among his friend group that even kept one around anymore. All of them used their cellphones or the clocks on their stupid televisions or microwaves, but not him. Part of him denounced modern technology. He liked to stay classic as embarrassing as it was. 

He still kept around all of those things though. Even if things like TVs and cell phones did annoy him, he knew they had their uses. The man’s dulled eyes returned to their original spot. He stared at the notes he had taken recently about an experiment he had been working on before his interruption. The man still hadn’t figured out what had went wrong. Everything should have went perfectly, but when he added one chemical to another and mixed, it blew up in his face. The poor bastard. 

A small ding pulled him from his work. Once again, he shot a sideways glare towards the object that caused his distraction. A cellphone. The man reached up and began to remove the black latex gloves on his hands to keep from dirtying the object with any chemical residues he may have gotten on himself. He laid the gloves on top of his table and stood up before approaching his leather couch. Even his couch was worn out. If you looked close enough you could see how the cognac colored leather was close to breaking and the ass imprints from sitting were etched into the cushion. 

The black Samsung was seated upon the cushion where he had previously chunked it before he began his experiment. The screen was lit from a text message and the closer he got to the phone, the more recent messages he could see popping up on the screen. He wondered how he hadn’t heard the annoying dinging before? He did tend to get carried away in his practice. The man let out a deep sigh and sat down, ignoring the slight crunchy sound the worn out leather made below him. He grabbed his cell phone and opened it up to read the messages that had been sent to him. 

His honey colored eyes illuminated from the screen as he clicked upon the first contact that texted him —  
‘Willow.’ 

‘Are you up?’  
‘Do you still wanna go to that show with me tomorrow? I can ask Wigfrid instead since I know it isn’t really your style lol’  
‘Respond’

Those had been sent at eleven o’four pm. A twinge of guilt hit the pit of his stomach as he reread the second line back to himself. Willow, his former college classmate, had asked him to attend a magic show with her. The woman had scored a pair of tickets from one of her fellow firefighters at her work place and begged him to come along. A magic show, as she had said in her text, wasn’t really his scene. Wigfrid, one of Willow’s friends who just so happened to be a local theatrical actress, loved things like that. But not him. He didn’t believe in that rubbish, not one bit. He was a firm believer that anything could be explained with logic and reason, and magic was no exception. 

‘It’s just a bunch of rubbish, if you ask me.’  
‘But I promised you I would come, so I’m going to do so, though Wigfrid would very much enjoy it.’  
‘I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight.’ 

With a click, the phone’s screen turned dark and that marked the daily five minutes he would spend on it. He let out a long sigh and stared up at the ceiling before blinking tightly. Oh how his eyes ached. Even his bags were getting bags. His hair was drenched in soot from the previous explosion from his failure and the lab coat that was on his person reeked of acids. He really should have worn goggles, but at this point he had dealt with so much that he didn’t care. 

Oh, right. Someone else had texted him recently. The man opened his phone once again, tired eyes searching for the message that was sent at midnight. A long yawn left his slightly agape mouth as he clicked on the contact that was highlighted with a little dot beside the name—  
‘Ms. Wickerbottom.’

‘Are you still working on that flimsy experimentation of yours, dear Wilson? Please do not hurt yourself. I cannot rush you to the hospital at this time. I hope you are doing alright and do come see me by the library some time. Goodnight.’ 

A small smile creeped up on the lips of the man as he held his phone tightly. His old nanny, Wanda Wickerbottom, was such a lovely older woman. She ran the library downtown and he would occasionally stop by to find a chemistry textbook on something he wanted to look over for an experiment. Ms. Wickerbottom had been his nanny during his youth. His mother was never really around due to her work, and his father couldn’t give a damn about him anyways. Wilson had begun to despise both of his parents as he grew older. He had not really understood much as a child about why his parents were around, but when he became a teenager he realized just how much his parents truly loved him, and it wasn’t much. 

‘I’m fine, Ms. Wickerbottom. Thank you. Goodnight to you too.’ 

Wilson sent that back to her before he double checked to make sure he had no more messages from anyone else in his contact list. Of course, he only had a few. They were mainly his close friends like Willow, or his best friend Woodie, but the rest were just stores or restaurant numbers he had saved to make it more convenient to call them. He wasn’t much of a social butterfly. He preferred to be secluded. It was easier to relax when he was alone, but sometimes it was a bit lonely and he did yearn for a partner that could understand him fully. 

Wilson shook his head, pushing those dark thoughts to the farthest end of his mind. He didn’t want to sit there and wallow in self pity right now. He was exhausted. The magic show tomorrow would be around seven, but he still wanted to rest up anyways so he could go out and buy something nice to wear. He didn’t have very much money as he didn’t have a stable job at the moment, but he still had enough money saved up from old jobs to afford one for a few hours at the least. Willow hadn’t given him all the details, but she promised his wardrobe was not up to date in what was needed for this occasion. 

He was a tad offended at first! His wardrobe was amazing in his opinion. Sure, almost all of the colors were reds, blacks or whites, but there was nothing wrong with that..and yes a bunch of it was quite similar to one another, but even Einstein himself hardly changed clothing! It was suppose to keep you from being distracted and being able to focus more on work, and that’s what the scientist wanted. 

Wilson huffed and stood up, approaching his table once again. The man began to do his usual routine of disposing of the chemicals, stacking his notes and placing them in a binder on his shelf, cleaning off any of the lab ware he made have dirtied and used, and then wiping down the table with disinfectant wipes. When he finished all of this, he disposed of his gloves and headed towards his bathroom to take a well deserved shower and clean off the shame from his experiment. 

He was very careful when it came to his self care as strange as it seemed for the scientist. His bathroom was aligned with many haircare products, soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and other things he would use. Wilson loved the feeling of being clean and presentable as much as he loved science. He also really loved his hair. It was his pride and joy. He always styled in a slightly slicked back manner to where it would almost represent a ‘W’. 

Despite his aging, his hair hadn’t shown any signs of greying out just yet. It was still a dark onyx color that matched perfectly with his whisky colored eyes. The slight facial hair adorning his chin was also black as night. He was rather thankful for his youthful look, even though he was closing in on forty. 

After his shower, Wilson exited the bathroom and threw on something to sleep in before he flopped upon his bed, frowning as the springs beneath him creaked rather loudly. The man gave a sigh and a grunt as he turned on his side and covered himself up with the russet colored bed sheet. He stared at the darker corner of his room, awaiting his heavy lids to fall and engulf him in sleep, but he continued to be awake. He despised when this happened. After many nights of staying up way past midnight, his body had begun to train itself to sleep around three in the morning despite the clear exhaustion he felt.

He sighed and tried closing his eyes to force himself in to sleep, but he couldn’t. It was like something from within the corner of his room was staring at him. His sienna colored eyes opened once again to glare into the darkness. Of course, he saw nothing, but he felt it there. His heart began to pick up speed as his mind raced. He knew nothing was there, so why was he about to have a panic attack over this? The scientist quickly turned his back and sealed his eyes shut once again. He needed rest. Go to sleep, Wilson. 

The short man tried to calm himself down over and over until he eventually wore himself out and shut down. He fell into a deep sleep that he hadn’t done in a long while. It was very much needed considering all of his nights staying up late to meddle with science. As his form laid sleeping, something dark from within the corner stirred, staring over at him.

It had watched him for many nights, but this was the first he had actually began to suspect something was there. A shadowy hand moved towards the bed, idling above Wilson’s sleeping body until it froze and pulled away, merging back into the shadows. Not tonight. It wouldn’t claim him just yet. There still was the magic show to attend.


	2. Meet the King

The light through the blinds awoken the scientist, making him groan and try to cover his face in an attempt to fall back to sleep, but the alarm he had set on his cell phone began to go off and he knew that he would have a rather eventful day in front of him.

The man reluctantly sat up from the warmth of his sheets and glanced over at his phone. The clock showed the numbers ‘2:30 pm’ on the lock screen and Wilson let out a deep groan, mentally slapping himself for sleeping past his stupid alarm. The damn thing must have went off ten times at least and he somehow slept through it. He grabbed the little device, clicked the ‘STOP’ button on the alarm app and went to his messages to check for anything from Willow or his old nanny. Willow had sent back an ‘Okay’ and a few links of some YouTube videos she wanted Wilson to look at when he could. Ms. Wickerbottom hadn’t replied to his text, but she was a rather busy woman so he wasn’t offended by it. He turned his cell phone off and chunked it on to the pillow beside his own. 

He let out a grunt as he stood up and popped his back, enjoying the feeling of release from his stiff muscles. The scientist turned and began to walk over to his closet to grab something to wear for the day. He’d most likely spend it out getting groceries he could afford and then grabbing that dumb suit he needed for the magic show. He rolled his eyes at the thought. He couldn’t wait to see what blowhard was preforming. He’d probably pull some stupid gimmick like levitating or pulling things out of thin air. Wilson knew it was all bullshit. Just a simple string and card under the sleeve and bam, people were hooked and throwing money at him. How stupid. 

Wilson grabbed a white button up shirt from his closet and some black jeans before he tugged them on. He ran a hand through his hair, a small creeping feeling of sorrow he knew all too well taking hold of his body. He frowned, glancing over at his bathroom. He could go in and fix himself up, but he honestly couldn’t fathom the energy to do so, so he just walked over and got his phone then went downstairs to eat breakfast. 

The scientist settled on cereal and hurriedly ate so he could get out of the door without missing the morning subway. He had lived in New York City for a few years now and he still wasn’t use to all of the people. He had to force himself to keep calm and keep his eyes down. If he made eye contact with anyone there he knew he would lose it and go off into a full blown panic attack. Luckily, he wouldn’t need to ride very long since the stores weren’t too far off. 

He grabbed his wallet and shoved it into his back pocket before he locked his apartment door and headed downstairs, and towards the subway. He never really enjoyed living in New York that much. It was expensive and the only way he could stay in his one bedroom, one bathroom apartment was from the money his parents had reluctantly lended him until he could find a stable enough job. He had gone to college to get a degree in chemistry and wanted to become a forensic scientist, but every place he applied to denied him and he had began to given up completely. He could hold small jobs here and there that didn’t pay well enough except for groceries and other necessities, but they weren’t things he wanted to do, and now he was almost broke, almost forty, and relying on his parents to pay for his rent. 

He sneered at the thought as he waited for the subway to pull up, a hand placed over his pocket just in case. He couldn’t stand relying on his parents, who hated almost every choice in life he made, to pay for his home. They had never met eye to eye with him and they almost ended up denying Wilson any help until he was flat out begging for their assistance. For a moment he had considered asking Wickerbottom, but he didn’t want to be a bother to his old nanny, plus she was a librarian and probably didn’t have enough to even fully support hardly nonetheless him.

As the subway came into the station, Wilson frowned and got on, ignoring all of the pushing and shoving and yells from the other passengers until he safely made it inside. He thankfully got a seat and glued his eyes on to his lap. His foot was tapping a bit nervous and the pit of his stomach felt heavy with nerves. There weren’t too many people, but it was still enough that he felt uncomfortable. The scientist let out a breath of air, closing his eyes tightly as he waited for the subway to come to a halt near the shopping areas.

“Excuse me.” He heard a voice nearby speak to him and he reluctantly opened his eyes, looking up from his lap towards the voice. 

A pair of dark eyes met his own. They were the color of burnt bark. A blackish-brown tint with a dash of golden around the iris. It was almost frightening to take in and Wilson wanted to pull his gaze away, but he felt captivated by those eyes. He cleared his throat, glancing at the seat next to him to try and pull himself back to reality.

“Did you hear me?” The man spoke again and this time Wilson could hear the thick British accent he had. His voice was deep and brooding and it sent chills down his spine. He almost sounded like he should be some kind of Hollywood actor who played a mafia boss or something.

“No I didn’t, I’m sorry. Can you repeat what you said?” The scientist forced his gaze to meet the one of the other man to not be impolite. 

He took the brief moment to bask in the man’s appearance. The first thing he noticed was his height. This man was glowering over Wilson, staring down at him with a brow raised in question. He was almost all legs with how tall he was. If Wilson had to guess he had to be about 6’1. He was wearing a dark grey button up shirt with his sleeves slightly rolled up and a black vest over it. His slacks were also black and his loafers looked rather expensive. He whole outfit was rather expensive. 

The stranger’s black hair was dark and swept slightly to the side. When Wilson looked closer he noticed some slightly grey hairs forming at the sides, but it wasn’t noticeable enough to someone farther away. His face was rather attractive, but his hooked nose was really something to behold. If this man really was wealthy, Wilson questioned why he hadn’t gotten that thing taken care of. 

Upon taking in his entire appearance, Wilson concluded this man was probably someone of upper class who had gotten caught up in the business of town and somehow ended up on this smelly ole subway. Either that or he was going to a fancy party at two in the afternoon. 

“I asked if the seat next to you was taken? Are you following, pal?” The man asked, letting out a small annoyed sigh. Wilson blinked, pulling himself out of his haze,  
and shook his head. 

“It isn’t. Go ahead.” He nodded over to the seat, offering the stranger a polite smile. 

The stranger gave him a nod and a grateful look before he sat down, crossing his legs neatly as he sat up straight. Wilson studied him for a moment, wondering why such a wealthy person like him was doing here.

“Why’re you here?” Wilson blurted out before he realized how rude and odd that sounded. He but the inside of his cheek, causing it to bleed slightly. Ugh. This poor man beside him probably thought he was some weirdo now.

He glanced up at the man, preparing himself to meet a confused glare or maybe something of disgust, but all he saw was the man staring down at him with a raise brow and then a small grin formed on his thick lips before he let out a laugh.

“Here? On the subway? Or here in New York?” He chuckled, glancing back down at the cell phone in his hands. Wilson frowned and sunk into his seat, feeling incredibly embarrassed and foolish.

“On..the subway. You look pretty wealthy so I was just wondering.” He didn’t meet the stranger’s eyes this time. He had a habit of making things a bit awkward. He himself was pretty awkward. 

“Well I considered grabbing a cab, but I suppose this is free, and I wasn’t in the mood to listen to a middle aged man talk about his wife and inform me about New York City like I haven’t lived here for twenty years.” The man looked back up at Wilson, a mischievous glint sparkling in his dark eyes.

Wilson gave a nod, pretending like he could relate to that problem. The shorter man cleared his throat and looked back up at the stranger, studying him for a moment. If this man was a normal stranger on the subway, Wilson would have stopped all conversation there, but this man was rather intriguing to Wilson. He was dark and brooding. He claimed he lived in New York for twenty years, but still had a thick British accent. He was wealthy and Wilson wondered why and how. Was he a doctor or something? He guessed even rich doctors could ride on subways too if they had to.

“See something you like, pal?” The man looked down at him, flashing him a sharp grin. Wilson almost yelped at how sharp the man’s teeth appeared to be. He took a breath and told himself to relax. Ugh. He caught him staring like a creep.

“W-What? No! I just..where are you headed?” Wilson asked, glaring away from the man. His heart was pumping rather widely at this point and he didn’t know why he was getting so nervous around this tall figure of a man. 

“Same place as you; the mall. That’s why we’re on this subway, pal.” The man stifled a laugh and turned away from Wilson to study his phone once again. 

Wilson’s face heated up slightly and he glared out the window, gripping the chair seat below him. This guy just enjoyed basking in Wilson’s embarrassment, huh? 

“Right. Okay.” He gave a stiff nod and jumped slightly when the subway came to a halt. 

They had arrived at the mall. 

Wilson let out a sigh of relief and stood up, waiting for the other people in front of him to get off. The man behind him had stood up by now and was holding his hands in the front pockets of his pants. He looked a bit annoyed as the other civilians too their precious time piling out of the subway train and towards the mall. Himself and Wilson were the last two to exit the subway train and walk towards the mall entrance. Wilson wondered to himself where this man could be headed off to.

“I guess this is where we part ways, hm?” The stranger, looked over at Wilson, offering him a dark grin. Wilson swallowed thickly and gave a curt nod, his eyes scanning the area for the suit shop Willow had informed him about. 

“Have a good day then.” The man replied, giving Wilson a wave and began to walk off, his expensive shoes clacking against the tiles of the mall flooring. 

Wilson watched him walk off, noticing the man was going in the same direction as Wilson had planned on to get to the suit store. The short man’s rather bushy brows knitted together and he began to awkwardly walk the same way, doing his damn hardest to keep his distance to not look like he was following the other. He hoped and prayed that this man wasn’t going to the suit store. Please just walk past it.

Unfortunately for Wilson, the wealthy subway man ended up going straight through the doors of the tailors. Wilson frowned and considered turning and walking off until said man left, but then he realized how utterly foolish that was. He shouldn’t be such a weirdo about all of this. So what if they went to the same store? If the subway stranger asked why he was following him, he’d calmly explain the situation. Wilson reassured himself before allowing a grin to plaster over his face and walked in to the store.

He was greeted with the sharp smell of leather and shoe polisher. He felt so out of place there. Everyone around him was dressed nicer than he was, even the employees. He just needed to grab a nice suit, rent it, and go. It be over with and done. 

He saw no signs of his subway buddy, so he felt a little bit less weird about being there, but he still felt a bit awkward. He looked around for someone to assist him until he saw a well dressed employee glancing around for potential customers to nag at. He luckily saw Wilson and approached him with a kind smile and opened arms.

“Hello, sir. What can I help you with today?” The employee bellowed cheerfully, placing a hand on Wilson’s shoulder. 

Wilson gave the man a kind smile and began to explain to him he needed a nice suit for a few hours to go to the magic show being performed downtown later that night. The man expressed a great jealousy over it since the magician, who the man had called ‘The Great Maxwell’ was a fabulous illusionist and performer. Wilson held his tongue to say anything about magic being fake and instead asked the man once more about the suits.

The man ended up finding him a rather dashing black two piece suit with a white, collared shirt, and a black and white striped tie. Wilson agreed it would work and it was luckily in his budget for renting. 

“Would you care to try it on, sir? To make sure you truly like it?” The employee smiled widely, nodding towards a dressing room. 

Wilson gave a nod and the man led him towards the dressing room to unlock it and allow him in. Once inside, Wilson quickly stripped himself out his attire and began to get dressed in the suit. It was rather uncomfortable at first, but upon looking into the mirror, Wilson knew that he could deal with the uncomfortableness for a brief moment. He looked rather nice in it, much like a true gentleman. It hugged his body rather nicely, outlining his legs and ass. He grinned to himself as he ran a hand through his raven colored locks, checking himself out. 

“Hello, handsome. Don’t you look dashing.” Wilson complimented himself, giving a small laugh and rolling his eyes. 

The scientist opened the door of the dressed room and stepped out to allow the employee to give his honest opinion. The man gasped and looked Wilson up and down before he gave him a nod and a round of compliments. Black was Wilson’s color. 

“It looks lovely on you, sir. As soon as you remove it we can ring you up and send you on your way.” The employee walked towards the register to wait for Wilson and the scientist gave him a nod before he turned back towards the dressing room.

He stopped in his place when he heard a low whistle come from behind him. Slowly, he turned around and came face to face with the subway man from before. Fabulous.

“Did you follow me in here, pal? Then you started trying on some suits? I must say you look rather dapper.” The man laughed, walking closer to Wilson.

The raven haired male snorted and rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest when the man approached him. He glanced down at the suit the other was holding, raising a brow at him.

“I didn’t follow you in here. I’m renting this suit for a magic show tonight.” Wilson huffed, sending him a slight glare. He didn’t appropriation the accusation from this complete stranger, but he knew it would happen. The man looked a bit taken aback at the magic show thing, but he relaxed and gave him a nod and a smile.

“Ah, of course. That’s why I’m here as well. I hear the performer is quite extraordinary.” The taller man grinned that dark grin once again and Wilson felt his throat tighten slightly for some unknown reason. There was something slightly sinister about him that he couldn’t put his finger on. 

“I don’t believe in magic, but my friend asked me to go with her so I agreed to it.” He shrugged, reaching up to loosen the tie on the suit. The stranger’s grin only seemed to grow at the comment and he gave a slow nod.

“I see, I see. Say pal, you wouldn’t happen to be renting that suit would you?” The man said the word ‘renting’ with a bit of a mocking tone etched in to it, but Wilson ignored it and gave a slow nod, brow rose in question.

“Give me a moment.” The man walked past Wilson, purposefully brushing up against him. He watched with wide eyes as the man approached the employee Wilson had gotten help from.

The two men talked for a moment, laughed a bit, and then the employee rung up the subway man. The stranger gave the employee a wave and came back to Wilson, smirking at him. 

“What?” Wilson asked, staring up at him with a slightly doe eyed expression. The stranger shrugged and his smirked became another wickedly eerie grin.

“I bought your suit for you. You’re welcome.” The man shrugged nonchalantly, shoving a hand in to his front pocket. The scientist blinked, processing what the stranger had said. 

He didn’t even know this man’s name or anything about him and he was buying him a suit? It made Wilson a bit uneasy, but he wasn’t going to act rude towards it. He was glad to be able to save what little money he could. Now he could waste it on other things. 

“W-What? I..well thank you, but you didn’t have to, sir. I don’t even know your name?” He sputtered out, staring up at him. 

The dark eyes of the older man met his own whisky colored ones and for a moment, Wilson could feel ice in blood. The panic feeling from the night before crept up in to his chest and he felt like he couldn’t breathe for a second. The man was rather close to him now and he could smell his musky cologne and feel his breath fan over his face.

“You can call me William. I hope to see you again. Have a good day, pal.” He smiled before standing up straighter and giving Wilson a light pat on the shoulder before he took his leave. 

Wilson watched the dark stranded exit the store and walk away until he was a no longer visible through the store windows. The cold feeling had soon settled and Wilson’s heart rate and breathing returned to normal. He couldn’t speak. It was like the air had been knocked out of him from his close that man was. William, was it? William didn’t even ask for Wilson’s name back. What a weird act of kindness from a stranger he met on a subway.

He took took a breath and walked back into the changing to get into his normal clothing. The employee from before bagged his new suit and thanked him for shopping with them. The short scientist left the store, glancing around for another sight of the William man, but to his surprise he didn’t see him. It was like William had vanished out of thin air. Of course, he hadn’t, but that’s what it looked like to Wilson. 

Wilson spent the rest of his afternoon getting something to eat, grabbing a few groceries he knew he would need, and then heading back to his home to get ready for his friend date with Willow. He knew he could always confide in that woman, so he would have to bring up the strange William man to her and the dark feeling that he somehow ended up giving Wilson. Once he entered his house, he threw the suit on his living room sofa and sat down, giving a grunt. He glanced over at his wall clock, squinting to read the little numbers above.

‘6:30 pm’


	3. Magic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this chapter is long. I hope you guys enjoy it haha. Please excuse spelling and grammar mistakes as I have yet to fully look over the entire chapter.

A sharp knock on the door caused the scientist to jump slightly. He checked himself out in the bathroom mirror one last time, making sure his hair looked nice. The knocking kept getting louder and rapid, and Wilson let out a groan. He loved Willow, but sometimes she was such a child.

“I’m coming! Hold on, hold on!” He called back at the knocking as he glanced at his appearance one last time, giving a frown. 

He hoped Willow wouldn’t comment on the purple bags that were forming under his eyes. They hadn’t really hung out in a while considering how busy she always was with her job and social life. He would attempt to go out with Woodie, but his best friend was usually busy with his wife Lucy and their expecting child. 

Wilson clicked off the lights in his bathroom then grabbed his cell phone and wallet off of his kitchen counter. He checked his messages for a moment to make sure he didn’t have anything, and then stuffed both objects in to his back pockets before he rushed over to the front door.

He unlocked the door and allowed it to swing open. To his surprise, Willow looked quite lovely in the attire she was wearing. Her ebony colored hair, usually in pigtails, was down and straightened. The dress she wore was black in a cocktail style. Her cleavage was slightly exposed from the dipped v-shaped neckline and the sleeves were short and slightly upturned. On her feet were simple black heels. It reminded Wilson of something vintage and from the 50’s. 

“You look beautiful, Willow.” The man smiled at her politely, stepping out of his home and unlocking the door. He didn’t notice Willow checking him out until he turned her way.

“Wow, Higgsbury. Don’t you look snazzy. You clean up pretty well, huh?” She laughed, her hands on her hips as she sized him up and gave a nod.

Wilson rolled his eyes, but a smile crept from the corners of his lips.

“I can look good when I want to. I’d say the same for you, though.” He joked, earning a punch in the arm from the pyromaniac. 

“Don’t be an asshole. How much did you pay for that thing? I hope it wasn’t any trouble.” Willow gave him a small look of sympathy, but Wilson just shook his head and began to lead her down the stairs of his complex. 

“Well..about that. I was going to rent it but-“ 

“Oh my god did you steal it?” Willow smirked over at him, raising a brow.

“No! Let me finish!” Wilson shot back, sending her a glare as they walked down the sidewalk and towards the subway station.

“Anyways, as I was saying, I got on the subway earlier and this strange man sat beside me. He was really tall and just..had this dark presence. I don’t know, it was weird. We talked a little bit during the ride and all, but when we got to the mall we both ended up going in to the suit store and I tried this one on to make sure I liked it, and the man came up to me and I think he was flirting with me or something, but I’m not sure. He then just..bought me the suit? And told me his name was William?” Wilson explained as they walked side by side, earning a weird glance from Willow.

“So now you have a sugar daddy named William. That’s cool. Good job, man.” She laughed, making Wilson’s face heat up. He sent her a glare and shook his head frantically.

“No! I don’t even know him! Just him being next to me made me uneasy, Willow. Then he bought me something when we only met a few moments ago! Isn’t that weird?” 

“I guess so. Maybe he just thought you were cute? You do have a certain charm about you.” The woman grinned, but Wilson still kept his frown and blush on his cheek.

“Whatever. Can we just get to this dumb illusion show?” 

He placed his hand on the small of Willow’s back when they got closer to the subway. Willow didn’t seem to mind considering how busy it was tonight and how many people were pushing and shoving against one another to get on. If Wilson got lost in the crowd he knew he would freak out.

The two friends boarded the subway together and sat through a relatively short ride to the theatre, occasionally chatting about some things here and there. Wilson learned Willow was seeing a woman by the name of Walani who worked at at an aquarium near Brooklyn. He was relatively happy for his friend, but part of him felt some slight envy towards her and her romance, but he’d never say that to her aloud. 

“So why was that William guy at the store with you? Don’t act like you don’t know because I’m sure he told you or your big mouth asked.” The woman laughed softly as she looked back at Wilson with bright hazel eyes.

“He..was getting a suit for the magic show.” Wilson admitted, awaiting Willow’s embarrassing comments about how the world was small or something similar to that.

“Isn’t that nice? Rich, likes magic, tall and handsome? He sounds like a real dreamboat, huh? Maybe we’ll see him tonight and you two can make out in the bathroom.” She cackled, wiggling her eyebrows up at Wilson. 

The scientist rolled his eyes and ignored her comment to stare down at his hands in his lap. He kept replaying that moment in his head. That man had gotten far too close to him. He could still smell his cologne and feel his warm breath on his skin. It was almost like a haunting. He shivered to himself, pushing those thoughts away. If he saw the William man tonight he’d thank him for buying the suit and that would be all. Nothing else. 

“Snap outta it. We’re here.” Willow gave Wilson’s shoulder a shake as the subway came to a halt. He stood up and followed her out, grabbing her hand so they wouldn’t get separated.

As they approached the rather large theatre, Wilson had to squint in order to see clearly. The building was vast with a dark red paneling. The most notable feature were the windows that led out to a small balcony. The pillars were made out of a silvery stone and engraved throughout them were pictures of what appeared to be faces and strange Latin symbols that Wilson couldn’t make out too well in the darkness. The bottom half of the theatre wasn’t as impressive as the top as the doors were a crimson color that were adorned with lights and posters that told what was being shown that night.

The background was a plain black screen with puffs of dark green and grey smoke surrounding the area. In the center there was a silhouette of a man who was turned to the side with one of his hands held up to reveal a dark rose in between his thumb and forefinger. Etched into the photo were blood red words that flashed, ‘The Great Maxwell’. Wilson rolled his eyes as he and Willow approached the line of people waiting to get their tickets checked and scanned. He didn’t realize how famous this man actually was. He had quite a crowd tonight awaiting him. Wilson gave his wallet and cellphone a pat to make sure they were still in his pocket, thankfully they were, and he and Willow moved through the line until it was their turn.

Willow showed the guard the tickets in her right hand and then they were checked to make sure they weren’t carrying any weapons in Willow’s purse and Wilson’s pockets. When the pair got the okay, they went inside the theatre hurriedly.

Inside, Wilson was in awe. The theatre was covered in a red velvet carpet. The most notable feature was the large, golden staircase that led up to the top row of seats. There was a grand piano in the middle with a finely dressed man playing a sweet symphony. Towards the far back Wilson spot a beautiful golden colored bar with a woman serving drinks to paying customers. The scientist glanced over at Willow, who was grinning from ear to ear at the lavish. Both of them weren’t use to things like this. Willow had gotten lucky when she got those tickets. 

“Come on. Let’s go sit down.” The woman tugged in Wilson’s hand and led him up the fine stairway. Their seats were towards the top, but he didn’t mind too much. He knew that tickets here were expensive already, but tickets seated on the floor probably cost an arm and leg. 

“You’re in seats 540 and 541.” The woman guarding the doors informed them when Willow flashed the woman their tickets. Willow and Wilson walked through the large doors and over towards the seats where they were directed.

The inside of the stage area was just as lovely as the outside. The walls and ceiling were dressed in crimson, even the seats were a fine velvet. The stage itself was rather large and dark, the only trace of color being the red curtains and the golden lights dotted across the top of the bridge that could shine down upon the performer.

“Isn’t this great? I’ve never been in a theatre so big!” Willow mused, crossing her legs properly as she looked around. 

The others there were dressed a tad bit fancier than the pair, but Wilson really couldn’t be bothered. Willow looked happy and it made him feel good to know they could spend this evening together. 

“Me either. It’s really breathtaking. Now let’s just hope the performance is too.” Wilson snorted, earning a shake of the head from Willow.

The lights began to dim and the remaining standing rushed to take their seats in the audience. Willow’s hazel eyes averted to the stage, grinning from ear to ear. Even if this all was fake and it sucked, Wilson would pretend to like it to make her happy. 

The curtain drew back and a gust of dark smoke followed, making the audience hold their breath in anticipation. The bright lights flickered down and standing in the middle of the smoke was a tall man in a grey pinstripe suit, white undershirt and black tie. The audience clapped widely at the sight of him and he flicked his wrist up to reveal a single rose. The man walked forward, grinning widely as he held up the rose and made it burst into flames.

Willow loved that and clapped loudly for him, giving a cheer. Wilson snorted at the trick, but clapped as well. He couldn’t make out the man’s face because of the lights and how far away they were, but he could see his tricks and movements. 

The man gave a small bow and closed his hands tightly around the burning rose, emitting a gasp from the crowd. When he opened them, the rose turned into a black raven. It flew away from the man’s hand and the crowd clapped once again until he moved further up and began to speak.

“Good evening ladies and gentleman. I, the Great Maxwell, welcome you to the Lyric Theatre. Tonight, I will preform many feats of mystery for your entertainment with the help of my lovely assistant, Charlie.” Maxwell grinned and rose a hand in the air as a shorter female walked upon the stage. 

She had black hair done in an updo that was similar to closed rosebuds, a long, black gown and black gloves on her hands. The crowd gave a clap for Charlie and she bowed before she took Maxwell’s hand and the two bowed as well.

“Thank you, thank you! You’re very kind. Now, Charlie. I ask that you please lay upon the table in the center of the stage.” Upon that, Maxwell snapped his fingers and a white table appeared from thin air.

Charlie walked over and laid down upon the stage, awaiting Maxwell’s next instructions.

“Wonderful. Now Charlie, I ask that you stay perfectly still. Ladies and gentleman, watch closely. As you see, there are no strings attached to Charlie and there is nothing on myself to pull her up.” As Maxwell spoke, he motioned towards Charlie and himself before he turned his back to the audience and rose a hand.

The moment his hand went into the air, Charlie’s body began to move off of the table and towards the sky. The audience cheered loudly as they watched Maxwell levitate the woman in to the air. He moved her towards the crowd and before anyone could react, he dropped her down. The audience gasped in horror, but Charlie hadn’t landed on anyone. Instead, she had appeared back on stage, standing on top of the table.

Clapping erupted throughout the theatre and Maxwell bowed, grinning brightly. Willow gave a gleeful laugh and clapped for the man, glancing over at Wilson to see his reaction.

The scientist’s eyes were wide as he tried to come up with an excuse on how that just happened. It was amazing nonetheless, but his mind began to work. There was no way that could have happened, but the one thing that pulled his brain away from figuring out the logical explanation was the Maxwell fellow himself.

Upon a closer look at him, Wilson’s heart leaped up into his throat and he felt like he might vomit at any given moment. Dark hair, brooding figure, crooked nose. He knew that man. How could he forget him. 

“That’s him..” Wilson croaked out to Willow, pointing upon stage as Maxwell began to preform another feat. 

He placed his assistant in a box and lit it on fire, causing the audience to go into a panic until Maxwell opened it to reveal Charlie was gone. 

“What?” Willow looked over at Wilson, trying to understand him despite all of the clapping around them.

“That’s him! That’s William! The man on the stage that bought me the suit.” The scientist whispered yelled to her, his whisky colored eyes wide and full of confusion. 

Willow either couldn’t understand him or didn’t believe him. She shook her head, her eyebrows knit together. The woman seemed a bit annoyed to Wilson so he considered for a second getting up and going to the bathroom, but he didn’t want to be rude towards the others.

So he sat there and watched the dark mystery man preform his magic with his assistant. He did many amazing things like escaping from a jail cell when the audience had watched his assistant swallow the key, shoving a flaming sword down his esophagus and then pulling it out, causing fire to shoot from his hands and for his final act, he asked members from the stage to hand Charlie random objects while he closed his eyes and guessed what they were. 

In the end, Wilson hadn’t focused on any of the actual tricks and only the man preforming them. He couldn’t describe how he felt about seeing that man again. He was shocked at first then a bit confused then the eerie cold feeling swept up and choked him once again. Seeing that man preform all of these tricks just added to his creepiness. 

When the show ended, Maxwell and Charlie gave a bow and both disappeared in a puff of smoke. The curtain closed and everyone stood up to clap for the two. Willow looked relatively pleased with the show and it couldn’t bring Wilson to talk bad about it or even bring up the William-Maxwell man again. Was his name William or Maxwell? He didn’t know. He’d probably never figure it out anyways. 

“Did you enjoy the show?” The woman asked him as they began to exit the showing area, his hand placed on her back and he guided her out.

“It was..great. Thank you, Willow. I’m glad you asked me to come with you.” Wilson smiled at her, making her grin brightly. She was glad he wasn’t complaining. 

“What were you trying to tell me during it? I couldn’t understand you too well, but I know you were talking about Maxwell.” She turned back to look at him as they continued out.

Wilson sighed softly as he searched for the right words to say about it. How could you tell your friend that a famous magician had bought you a suit and then casually flirted with you? She also might not believe him and he didn’t want to seem like a liar. He also didn’t wish to ruin this happy mood of hers.

“Oh..nothing. I just said he was so cool.” Wilson lied, forcing a smile to which Willow gave a nod at. She agreed and they began to walk down the stairs together, chatting about how amazing Maxwell was.

When the pair had gotten down to the first floor, Willow suggested grabbing some drinks for them, so Wilson stayed towards the stairs and waited for her as she strutted over to the bar. He let out a groan as he leaned against a wall and kept replaying that stupid interaction with Maxwell in his head. 

“This is so stupid..why did I have to take the subway?” He muttered to himself, running a hand through his raven locks as he stared at the ground. He hadn’t heard the clacking of heels approaching him until he felt someone touch his shoulder.

“Excuse me, sir? Can you come with me for a second?” Wilson looked up at whoever was speaking to him and came face to face with none other than the Charlie woman that was on stage. 

Two security guards were standing behind her, watching out for people who may try to speak or touch her. 

“What? But-“  
“Wonderful. Right this way, sir.” She didn’t give Wilson a chance to react or warn Willow, instead he was grabbed my the arm and dragged towards the back end of the first floor. 

Charlie and the men led Wilson towards a darker part of the theatre where the performers would meet to get their hair, makeup, and costumes done. The woman ignored Wilson’s questioning and protests, only explaining to him that someone wanted a word with him.

“My friend, she-“  
“She’s fine. We had someone tell her. Don’t worry, okay?” Charlie smiled over at him sweet, her eyes dark as onyx. It sent a chill down his spine and reminded him instantly of Maxwell. 

The woman smelt strongly of roses and slight vanilla which made Wilson a bit sick feeling, but not as sick as the feeling he got when they arrived to a room that had the words ‘The Great Maxwell’ on a gold plate outside of the door.

Charlie gave it a light knock and then sighed when nobody responded. The woman whipped out a keycard and gave it a swipe before she, Wilson, and the guards entered the room. 

The room was like a regular dressing room, but it was much fancier. The walls were a cream color and the floors were a black hard wood. On one half of the room, there sat a vanity with little lights. The other half of the room sat a leather couch with a tv situated on the wall and a small mini fridge in the corner of the room. Images of famous actors and actresses hung on the wall behind the couch. 

There was a rack full of clothing near the mirror and plenty of hair products, makeups, and other items on top of the vanity. 

Wilson could feel his heartbeat in his ears as he looked back at Charlie and the guards, his mouth slightly agape as he tried to form words. Why the hell was he in that man’s dressing room? 

The door that was situated on the other side of the room swung open and none other than the devil himself walked out in a velvety purple robe. He smiled when he saw Wilson, giving Charlie and the guards a nod. Charlie gave Wilson a pat on the shoulder before she and the other men exited Maxwell’s dressing room to let them talk.

“How was your magic show, pal?” Maxwell laughed, taking a seat upon the couch with his legs crossed as he stared up at Wilson with slight adoration. 

Wilson felt himself shaking slightly, yet he wasn’t sure why. He didn’t want to approach the man and get that same rushing feeling over him. He wasn’t sure why he felt that way in the first place. Was it fear that kept causing him to be shaky and shiver around Maxwell, or was it something else? He shook his head mentally and crossed his arms as he sent Maxwell a glare.

“I wasn’t impressed.” Wilson growled, making Maxwell blink before he grinned once more and shrugged. The man leaned over and grabbed a bottle of water from within his fridge, offering it to Wilson.

“You’re just a skeptic. Here, you look thirsty.” Maxwell smiled, raising a brow at him. 

The scientist looked down at the water and hesitantly accepted it. He felt guilt and anger well up in him as he remembered leaving Willow. The poor woman. He grabbed for his cellphone in his pocket, but felt nothing there. Shit. Did someone steal it? Did it fall out. His face showed clear signs of distress and Maxwell obviously noticed it.

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” The magician chuckled, opening a bottle of champagne that was seated in a bucket of ice on a table. 

“My phone isn’t in my pocket and I left Willow at the bar..well I didn’t leave her intentionally. Speaking of that, why am I here?” 

He watched Maxwell pop open the bottle and pour himself a glass. The man brought the glass to his lips and took a long and leisurely drink. He was almost a bit captivated by the man, but he shook himself out of it. He didn’t want to think like that right now. Sure, Maxwell was handsome, but whatever. 

“Charlie took your phone. You can have it back when we’re done talking.” He placed his glass down and gave Wilson an innocent smile in a mocking way, making the scientist frown.

“I brought you here because I wanted to know your opinion on my show. I was going to offer you and your girlfriend closer seats, but I couldn’t find you before it started.” 

“She isn’t my girlfriend.” Wilson sighed deeply, opening up the bottle of water in his hands and taking a swig from it. It was cold and refreshing and left his throat slightly achy. 

“I see. Your wife then?”  
“No. She’s a friend.” 

Wilson frowned, tapping his fingers against the plastic bottle. Maxwell seemed to enjoy that answer because his smile turned from a pure one to a devious grin. He looked over at the bottle of champagne and nodded to it.

“Would you like a drink? You also look tense.” Maxwell chuckled, leaning back against the couch. Wilson blinked, wondering how he even go into the situation with this damn man.

“Sure..I guess.” He muttered, slowly taking a seat beside the magician. He couldn’t help the sinking feeling in his gut at the thought of Willow standing by herself at the bar.

Maxwell poured Wilson a drink into a champagne glass and handed it over to the other man, purposefully brushing his larger hands against Wilson’s own.

Wilson glanced down at the fizzy liquid and slowly brought the glass up to take a drink. He took a few sips and pulled back, licking his lips. It was obviously very expensive champagne since it tasted so good. He hummed and glanced over at Maxwell to catch the man watching him, his dark eyes sparkling lightly with a lust Wilson didn’t like.

“Taste good, pal?” Maxwell smirked, watching him carefully. 

Wilson gave a nod, making sure not to drink too much of the stuff. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get home if he was drunk off of some sparkling wine. 

“Yeah. It must have cost a lot. Hey, if you are so famous and rich how come nobody tried to bombard you today at the subway and mall?” Wilson looked up at him, meeting those eyes of coal. 

He himself had never heard of Maxwell, but he must have been really famous in the illusionist community for so many people to have bought tickets to his show, though Wilson couldn’t understand why anyone would want to sit through that.

“I have my ways, pal. Though you saw through the mist. That’s why you captivated me so much.” Maxwell smirked, placing down his glass and reaching for a box of cigars that were planted on the table beside him.

“Captivated you? Me? Ha.” The scientist snorted, taking another drink of the champagne.

“Mhm..you’re very interesting.” Maxwell took out a cigar and lit it before taking a puff, his eyes staying on Wilson the entire time.

As the time went on, the two continued to chat here and there about things like Max’s show and how long he’d been performing and such. Wilson had drank enough by now. He hardly drank, but as the time went on, he had drank about three glasses of the sparkling alcohol. His confidence began to soar and he felt more relaxed around Maxwell now. He was getting tipsy. 

“So..are you going to tell me your name or should I just take a gander?” The magician smirked as he poured Wilson more the drink, watching him closely. 

“It’s Wilson Higgsbury. Now tell me your real name. Is it Maxwell or William?” He rose a brow as he watched the older man smoke. 

“It’s whatever you wanna call me, pal. I prefer Maxwell, but unfortunately my legal name is William Carter.” He removed the cigar from his mouth and gave Wilson a smirk, causing the other man to shiver lightly. Ugh.

“I’m calling you William. I don’t like the magic rubbish so I won’t use that ridiculous stage name of yours.” Wilson huffed, not meeting Maxwell’s piercing hawk gaze. He knew if he kept this up he’d probably end up getting tossed out by the security. 

Instead, he heard the man chuckle lightly and felt the eerie once again. Maxwell was now closer to him, the cigar held away from himself and Wilson as he used his free hand to grab Wilson’s chin and turn his face upwards.

“I haven’t been called William in years. It’ll be a nice change.” He purred, his dark carob eyes full of lust and playfulness. 

Wilson could feel his heart racing once again. The suffocating feeling returned. He did his best to calm himself down, but the smell of Maxwell filled his nose once again and the heat from the lights in the room made him feel like he was burning up. 

Maxwell smirked, drinking in the whisky color of Wilson’s eyes. The dusty rose color on the other man’s cheeks made Maxwell want to take him then and there, but he knew he couldn’t do that. Not if he wanted to seriously get anywhere with this man.

“W-what..are you doing?” Wilson shuttered out, feeling the breath of the other man fan his face. He smelt of tobacco and champagne. It was a strange combination in Wilson’s opinion. 

“I don’t know. What should I be doing, pal?” Maxwell shot back, grinning at him. Being this close to him, Wilson could see just how sharp those teeth of his were. He swallowed thickly, closing his eyes tightly to keep from seeing Maxwell’s dark eyes.

He couldn’t control his beating heart and the nerves that were now beginning to stir. He didn’t know why this was happening to him. He didn’t know Maxwell that well. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t attractive to him, but still. He didn’t want to like the touching the magician was doing to him, but he was touch starved and lonely. Plus he was a little buzzed. 

Wilson went to open his eyes, but before he could he felt a pair of thick lips pressed against his own. He bit back a moan and placed his free hand on Maxwell’s shoulder to steady himself as the man kissed him.

He nibbled at Wilson’s bottom lip, encouraging the other man to open his mouth for him. A lot of thoughts were racing through the scientist’s mind, but his head felt a little hazy and his body reacted before he could. He opened his mouth for Maxwell, allowing the man’s tongue to explore his mouth, making Wilson groan slightly and push up against him.

Maxwell was relatively happy the other was kissing him back. He really didn’t want to force himself upon this man. It was all going to his plan. 

Wilson kissed Maxwell back deeply, little moans of pleasure leaving him every now and then as he fought for dominance with the other man. Maxwell continued to win and did a through job at exploring every little crevice of Wilson’s mouth. Eventually, Maxwell glances over to place his cigar down into an ashtray on the table and brought Wilson on to his lap. 

His mind foggy and he wasn’t thinking about where this was leading to. All he could feel was the pleasure that the other man was giving him, so he kept allowing it to happen. Maxwell’s hands moved down to cup Wilson’s ass and squeeze it tightly, making the other man squeak slightly and pant.

Their kiss continued with Maxwell nibbling on Wilson’s lips once again and then shoving his tongue back down his throat. They both were reaching their limit at this point. Wilson was shamelessly grinding down into Maxwell’s lap as he let the man abuse his mouth with his tongue. It wasn’t until Maxwell no longer could breathe that he pulled away 

When the two pulled from the kiss, a dribble of saliva trailed down Wilson’s chin. He panted heavily, staring up at Maxwell with heavy lids and rosy cheeks. The magician smirked down at him, giving the man’s ass a playful slap. 

“Are you alright, pal? Was that your first kiss or something?” He teased, bringing his lips up to Wilson’s ear to nibble on his lobe and trail kisses down his neck. 

Wilson whimpered slightly, only focusing on the nice feelings he was getting from the older man. He leaned in more to allow Maxwell access to his neck, not wanting this to stop.

“No..it wasn’t..” He replied breathlessly, continuing to grind himself in to Maxwell’s lap. The older man chuckled to himself and began to grind back, making Wilson sigh in pleasure. 

Before the scientist could utter another word, Maxwell was biting down upon his neck, leaving sucks and bite marks here and there. It hurt at first, but Wilson dealt with it and distracted himself by rubbing against the other. Maxwell didn’t stop his abuse to Wilson’s neck until he had a large hickey in the center.

“William..I..-“ Right on cue, a loud knocking sounded at the door. Maxwell paused his actions and glared up at the wooden object before letting out a hiss of anger.

Wilson was still a little out of it and gave a whine of disappointment when the other stopped touching him. He huffed and looked over at the door, frowning. He jumped lightly when he felt Maxwell remove him from his lap and place him upon the couch. The older man walked over to the door and opened it, looking a bit annoyed.

“Sir the woman wants to leave with Wilson. She been sitting at the bar for thirty minutes and she’s getting angry.” The voice of Charlie came from outside the door. 

Wilson continued to drink the champagne in the glass as he watched Maxwell’s back and listened to the man ask Charlie if he could keep ‘speaking’ to Wilson for a few more minutes, but the assistant insisted on letting Wilson leave with his friend.

In the end, Max really didn’t feel like arguing with her and said he’d send Wilson out once he wished him goodbye. That was enough to get Charlie to let him close the door. 

The magician approached Wilson once more, staring down at him as he watched his little scientist suck down the sparkly wine. A smirk grew and he leaned down to kiss the top of Wilson’s head, humming lightly.

“I enjoyed out little ‘chat’, Mr. Higgsbury, but it appears your friend is waiting for you. Might I see you again sometime soon, pal?” He purred, grinning down at the tipsy little scientist.

“Mhm..sure, Willy.” He nodded, slowly placing the glass down as he stood up. He almost fell over a bit, but Maxwell grabbed his arm and gave him a loving smile.

“Come. Charlie will help you get to your friend. I’ll have her call you two a cab. Have a good night, Mr. Higgsbury.” He whispered to the other man, voice soft as the velvet he wore.

When Charlie came and got Wilson, she took him back towards the bar that Willow was at. She looked super pissed off and began to yell at both Charlie and Wilson for wasting her time and making her sit alone like a loser. She could tell Wilson himself had been drinking and it pissed her off even more. Charlie apologized to her and at Maxwell’s request, led them outside to call them a ride a home. 

The magician’s assistant ended up slipping Wilson’s phone right back into his pocket, but the man hadn’t noticed. He got into the car with Willow and rested his head upon her shoulder, trying to apologize to her but it just came out jumped and then he just ended up falling asleep against her.


	4. Ludus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos, dears! I really appreciate it :). I hope you enjoy this chapter. Our boys go on a little date.

Wilson hadn’t remembered too much of what had happened after his encounter with Maxwell. He knew he did something stupid and let the man touch him in ways he wouldn’t have if the alcohol hadn’t been inside of his bloodstream. 

He wasn’t sure how he had gotten home. He knew he had gotten into a cab with Willow and ended up falling asleep, but he was now in his bed with his suit still on and shoes removed. Guilt began to sink into the pit of his stomach and without thinking, he reached for his phone to call her.

It rang for a second, but she picked up after a few moments much to Wilson’s relief.

“Willow! Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I..I don’t know what’s gotten into me! I’m not myself lately, you know? I would never have let that happen and yet I did. I’m such an awful friend. I hope you can please forgive me.” 

The man was practically pouring his soul out to her as he spoke. He couldn’t lose Willow as a friend. She was far too good for him, he knew that, but he needed her. 

“Dude, chill. I’m in the kitchen.” She laughed, hanging up the phone. 

Wilson blinked and tossed the Samsung to the side before sprinting out of his bedroom and over towards the kitchen. Before he could even get there, the smell of eggs cooking wafted up in to his nose. Had she cooked him breakfast? This woman was far too good to him. 

“Willow! I-“ He ran up to her, making her jump slightly and glare back at him. She was holding a spatula in her hand and a cup of apple juice in the other. 

“Calm down, weirdo. Sit down and eat first, okay? You’ve got to be hungry.” She handed him the drink and went back to fixing her own plate of eggs, leaving Wilson standing there with his mouth agape. Surely she was pissed at him? 

Willow looked back at him, a brow rose in question before she pointed over at the kitchen table. Wilson silently complied and took his usual seat then began to dig into the slightly burnt eggs his friend had prepared. 

When she finished making her own breakfast, she joined him at the kitchen table and the pair ate silently until she spoke up first.

“So did you have sex with him?” 

The abrupt question caused Wilson to choke on his apple juice. He pulled the glass away from his lips and started coughing frantically, his eyes watering from the slight pain. Willow sat there and watched him have his coughing fit until he calmed down and cleared his throat, a snort leaving her. 

“What!? No, I didn’t have sex with him! What makes you think that?” He shot back, resuming his eating hesitantly.

“You’ve got a few hickeys on your neck and you were kinda buzzed when his assistant lady brought you back to me, so I just kinda assumed you fucked him..or he fucked you? Are you..ya know? Bottom or top?” 

Wilson stared at her with a slightly annoyed expression, making her snort and hold back a smirk. His cheeks were dusted a light pink and he looked all kinds of uncomfortable.

“Don’t ask me stuff like that, dammit!” The scientist protested, giving a exaggerated groan as he finished his meal and got up to put his plate in the sink. He couldn’t deal with the teasing right now.

“So then what exactly did you do with him? Or are you gonna make up an excuse for that?” She grinned, staring over at her friend as he washed off his dish and a few utensils and pans.

“We talked.”

“Uh-huh..so is talk code word for ‘blowjob’?” 

“No! God dammit, woman.” He shot her a glare and turned off the running water, then began to wipe off the soap residue and water from his hands.

Wilson really didn’t want to explain to Willow that he had, against his will mind you, ditched her to go make out with a magician man he met on a subway. He just wanted to thank the man for buying his damn suit, but it somehow ended up with him tipsy from champagne and Maxwell kissing up on him.

“I have to repay him back. I mean, yeah he’s rich and he probably can make back that money in a heartbeat from his dumb shows, but I still feel bad about it. I didn’t even get a chance to say that to him because the minute I sat down he started giving me drinks and telling me about his shows.” 

“And kissing you?” 

He placed a hand over his face, glowering now. He felt so stupid and embarrassed. How could he have let that man take advantage of him like that? 

“He did that on purpose. The suit thing, the drinks, the flattery. He wanted me to give in to him. I’m such a fucking idiot, Willow.” Wilson slowly walked back over to take a seat in front of her, watching her expression go from sympathy to a coldness. 

“Look I’m cool with you ditching me to go have your way with a magician and all, but what I’m not cool with is you acting like a little bitch. You use to not be like this, you know? What happened to the sassy scientist man I know and love?” She frowned, getting up to discard her plate as well. 

“I don’t know. Everything just seems to be shit right now. I wake up and just want to..to go back to sleep. Even science is starting to bum me out.” 

Wilson didn’t really want to admit it, but his life had been going down the drain lately. He didn’t want to speak about it to any of his friends in fear of making them worry about him too much, so he kept it all inside and let it stir. It hurt to wake up every day and be alone. It hurt be struggling financially. It hurt to not be doing something you enjoyed. He felt so broken and alone, but he would never fully say that to Willow.

“Are you okay, man? We can talk if you want to?” At this point, Willow was standing up and walking over to him, her arms out stretched for a hug from the smaller man.

He accepted her hug, burying his face into the crook of her neck as she stroked his back. He didn’t want to leave her side. She was far too good to him, but he needed the contact and the familiarity. 

“No, I’m fine. It’s just a thing.” He muttered, lying through his teeth.

He sounded like a teenager that didn’t want to admit to their parent their depression, but that’s exactly what was happening. 

“Are you sure?”  
“Yeah. Thanks, Willow.” 

The woman stared down at him with a look of pity before she pulled away and gave him a small sigh. She couldn’t force him to talk. She didn’t really understand all of his struggles right now, but sooner or later she’d find out everything going on inside his head. 

“I need to go home so I can get ready for work.” She simply stated, walking over to grab her cell phone on the kitchen table. Wilson gave her a nod, leaning back against the counter.

He watched Willow gather her belongings and then clean up the leather couch she had slept on. She situated the throw pillows back in place and folded an old grey blanked up, then placed it upon the back of the couch. 

“Please call me if you need me. We can talk or hang out or something, okay? I’m here for you.” She gave him a small smile, which he returned with a forced one, and she walked out the door. 

—————

The rest of the day went as normally as Wilson could make it. He took a shower, brushed his teeth, got a change of clothing and sat back down in bed to scroll on his phone. He had recently applied to some forensic scientist jobs around New York through his cell phone, but he hadn’t gotten any calls or emails back to ask him for an interview. The hopelessness feeling sunk in once again and he threw his phone to the side and turned to lay down on the bed in a fetal position. 

Wilson stared at his wall for a moment, holding himself tightly as a few sighs escaped his pale lips. He closed his eyes, trying to fight back some tears that he knew would fall sooner or later. He was just glad it was later. Willow didn’t need to see that. 

A small ding caused him to turn over and grab his cell phone once again. He opened it up and saw that a random number had texted him. He blinked, a brow rose. Who the hell was this? He had saved most of the work places he applied for in his phone so he knew who it was just in case, but this was a plain number. 

He clicked the text, his whisky colored eyes scanning the words that followed.

‘Good day, Mr. Higgsbury.’ 

The simple text left a dry feeling in his mouth and he had to swallow a few times to regain moisture. There was no way it was him. Right? 

‘Who’s this?’ 

‘William.’ 

Wilson took a shaky breath, slapping a hand over his face and letting out a groan. His assistant must have somehow gotten his number from his phone when she took it last night. He really didn’t have time for this right now. This Maxwell man made him feel a bit nervous and weird. He wasn’t sure if it was a growing crush on if the man’s presence was just so dark and brooding that it scared him. Besides, he was busy wallowing in self pity. 

‘Do you need something?’

‘Why so cold, love?’ 

‘I’m busy.’

‘Doing?’

‘Stuff.’ 

Their conversation went on like that for a moment before Wilson got a rather questionable text and he had to do a double take on it.

‘Well if you’re not too busy, I was wondering if you’d like to go out for lunch with me?’ 

A light blush crept up Wilson’s face as he reread it again, a small frown tugging on his lips. He couldn’t believe this magician man was asking him out. He was certain Maxwell only wanted to mess with him for a moment that night and it be over with. Had he said something to the man that made him want to hang out with him? He wasn’t too sure. It was still a tad foggy. 

 

‘Why are you taking such an interest in me?’ 

‘Again, I find you intriguing. How am I suppose to get to know you better if we don’t go out together? So is it a yes or no?’

‘I’m not sure...’ 

‘Come on, pal.’

‘Fine.’

‘Great. Do you know the restaurant ‘Per Se’? I think that would be a lovely place.’

‘Yeah..I know it, but that’s really expensive and I’m kinda having financial problems right now.’

‘Who said you were paying?’ 

A flutter was sent through his stomach as he read that last text, a small noise leaving his throat. He really didn’t trust Maxwell one hundred percent yet, but something kept telling him to accept the offer. Maybe it was the idea of eating somewhere that wasn’t cheap fast food or store bought food, or maybe it was the fact he could use this as a moment to pay Maxwell back.

He just hoped he could make it clear that the kiss was from the alcohol and touch starved phase he was going through. He didn’t want to lead him on. 

‘Id feel bad if you paid.’ 

‘I’m asking you out, so I’m paying. Have you never done this before?’ 

‘I have! Just..ugh. Should I just meet you there?’ 

‘Normally I would offer to pick you up, but considering I have a few errands to run beforehand, yes I would prefer if we met there.’

‘Okay. What time?’

‘3:30. See you there, darling.’ 

Wilson turned his phone off after that text, his face fuming as he stared down at the black screen. This was such a dumb idea. He’d probably end up making things awkward and embarrassing himself. He also hadn’t gone out on a real date in three years. What was he even suppose to wear for this? And he still had to pay him back for the damn suit. 

He gave a long sigh and flopped over on his best, burying his face into his pillow. Did he seriously end up getting some rich magician to take an interest in him? Why him of all people? This man was obviously well known and could have whoever he wanted, yet he wanted Wilson. The scientist couldn’t wrap his head around it. Maybe this was a joke. Rich people loved to make fools of the poor, right? Maybe Maxwell was just trying to get under Wilson’s skin and flaunt his money. That had to be it. 

Regardless, he promised he’d go and he wasn’t going back on his word. He dragged himself out of the bed and began to look for something in his closet that was presentable. He didn’t have anything too extravagant, but he thought a black button up shirt with a and some dark jeans he rarely wore would work. He made sure to style his hair back nicely and wearing cologne as well. If he didn’t look good, at least he smelt nice. 

 

He made sure to clean up around his house before he decided to head out. He had a few minutes to get to the restaurant, so he wasn’t in too big of a hurry. He knew the subway would be packed once again with people considering it was lunch time, but he knew he had to deal with it. 

Wilson boarded the subway, making sure it was the correct one that would lead to the restaurant. Part of him felt a little giddy about going a date, but the other part of him kept saying it wasn’t a date. He wanted to repay Maxwell so this was the good chance to. After that, he’d pull away from the man. Maybe he could start getting his life back on track. 

The ride was a bit longer than his previous rides yesterday had been, but the eatery was in a nicer part of New York so it made sense. When he got out, he instantly felt a bit of nerves prick at his stomach. Per Se was a lovely place and the people that were standing around outside looked even lovelier. He shook off the feeling and walked inside, wondering if Maxwell had finished his errands yet. He did say 3:30 and it was 3:45. He had to have been there.

The hostess that was standing in the front noticed Wilson and opened up the book on her podium. He swallowed back the thick bile feeling as he approached her, hesitantly smiling.

“Good afternoon, sir. Name?” She asked, glancing down at her name book.

Shit. He didn’t know what to say. Did he say Maxwell’s name? Did he say his own? He decided to just ask her himself.

“Uh..I’m meeting someone here..his name is..Maxwell.” He knew that the man wouldn’t have dared used his real name since so many people knew him around as Maxwell. Hopefully at least. 

“Oh! You’re the man he’s meeting?” Her eyes shot up and she began to size Wilson up, a small scowl playing on her thin lips. He knew he wasn’t very much to look at, but jeez. He didn’t think it was that bad. 

“Y-yes. I am.” He stuttered, feeling shame creepy up his spine as the woman continued to send him a nasty look. 

She gave a nod and grabbed a menu before she motioned for Wilson to follow her. She led him towards a table that was situated near a fireplace. The place was pretty much empty, which was strange to Wilson. Maybe rich people really didn’t go to fancy places for lunch. Maybe they did common folk things and ate at home. He wouldn’t complain though. He knew he was in no position to be complaining at all. This man was buying him food. Expensive food. 

He looked up when he saw Maxwell seated at a table, a glass of red wine held in his hand as he stared down at a black menu with silver letting across the center. The hostess motioned over for Wilson to sit and handed him his own menu before she left to return to her spot. 

Maxwell’s dark eyes looked up and connected with Wilson’s own, making the scientist freeze slightly and shift a bit in the cushioned chair. He could practically feel Maxwell’s lips upon him. The kissing from last night had now fully resurfaced and he began to recall the softness of those lips. He almost shivered at the thought, but kept his cool and reminded himself where he was. 

“Hello, love. You look ravishing as ever.” The older man smirked, bringing the wine glass up to his lips to take a sip of the blood red liquid. 

“Thanks. You..look nice as well.” He forced a smile to keep from looking nervous. He always felt a strange edge around this man. 

Maxwell seemed to like the compliment because he sat up a bit straighter at that and placed his glass down on the table. Wilson watched him attentively as he grabbed the wine bottle situated in a bucket of ice and began to pour Wilson a glass. He smiled as he handed it over to the other man, staring at him almost lovingly.

Wilson slowly accepted the glass, looking a bit hesitant at first. The last time he drank with this man he ended up kissing him. He promised himself he wouldn’t let it happen a second time. He slowly took a sip from the glass, humming at how delicious the wine was. It was expensive. 

“Do you like French cuisine, Wilson?” Maxwell smiled at him, resting an elbow upon the table and placing his chin in the palm of his hand. Admittedly, Wilson hasn’t really had French food before.

“Uh..I’ve never really tried any type of French food. I know French fries are originally from Belgium so those don’t count, and I’m not even sure about French toast. Why do they call it French if it isn’t? It’s like German chocolate cake! It wasn’t made in Germany, a man named German made it, and he was from America!” 

Wilson huffed as he spoke, moving his hands as he spoke to exaggerate. Maxwell watched him with a grin, looking heavily amused by the scientist and his mini rant. 

“I don’t know, pal, but this food is actually French..may not be from France directly, but the flavor is there. It’s delicious nonetheless.” Maxwell shrugged, picking his glass up once against to take another sip.

“You’re not about to make me eat frog legs are you? Because if so let’s call of this lunch right now.”

“Of course not, but I do hear they taste much like chicken.” The magician grinned deviously, making Wilson roll his eyes and reach for the menu in front of him. No way was he about to eat about to eat a frog.

Before he could grab the menu, Maxwell grabbed it instead and place it on top of his own. Wilson shot him a confused look and the man gave a hum.

“I arranged a tasting menu. It should be out shortly.

“What’s that?” He asked, raising a brow at him. He felt really dumb asking questions like that, but these were some fancy things he’d never heard of before.

“The chef will chose a few dishes he recommends and they will be brought out in little samples for us to try. The last sample is a dessert.” Maxwell explained, grinning at the other man. 

He enjoyed the feeling of knowing more than the other since he was sure Wilson knew more about practical things than he did. 

“How much is this costing you exactly?” 

“Don’t worry about that, love. Just try to have a good time, hm? Let’s talk about you. What do you do for a living?” 

Ugh. Wilson didn’t like that question. He bit the inside of his cheek as his fingers danced across the white clothed table, thinking of a way to make himself sound less pathetic. 

“I..uh..I’m a scientist.” He glanced up at Maxwell to see an amused look on the man’s face. A scientist? Could this man be any more adorable? 

“Is that so? How fascinating. Why a scientist?” 

“I like science. It was my favorite subject in high school, and I’ve always been really interested in the natural world and the discoveries we can make about it.” 

He smiled as he explained his passion, staring down at his hands in embarrassment. Usually nobody wanted to hear about it since it was sorta nerdy. 

He heard Maxwell let out a small chuckle and he forced himself to make eye contact with the man, relaxing a bit.Those dark eyes were staring into his soul, listening intensively. He looked as though Wilson was the most interesting person in the world and it filled the scientist with a slight warm feeling. 

“That’s why you don’t appreciate magic I take it?” 

“Because I like science? Well..yes, I suppose. I just know that magic is just illusions that can be explained with logic. I don’t like the idea of illusions and things that try to trick others.” 

Maxwell gave a nod as he listened, his smile never faltering. Wilson continued with his slight science and magic rant until a waiter began to bring over small trays of food on silver platters. The entire time, Maxwell listened to the other man, taking in every word he said. 

“The first dish is oysters and pearls, sirs.” The waiter who was serving them explained as he placed their plates down in front of them. 

Both men looked down at their plates, though Wilson couldn’t tell what Maxwell was thinking. Wilson looked a bit taken back at the dish since it was unlike anything he’d ever seen. There was some kind of yellowish sauce in the plate with two little oysters sitting in the middle and some black balls bunches up next to it.

He didn’t want to be rude towards Maxwell or the chefs, but he had no idea what it even was. The waiter said oysters and pearls, but where were the pearls? The black balls? Wilson grabbed a spoon and began to scoop up the sauce, the balls and the oysters. He popped it into his mouth and chewed it, grimacing at the slimy and crunch texture that took over his mouth. It had an odd flavor that Wilson really didn’t appreciate. 

He glanced up at Maxwell to see the man eyeing the dish as well, taking leisure bites of it. The man’s dark eyes glanced up and locked with Wilson’s, a brow rose at him.

“Do you like it?” Wilson asked him, slowly moving the spoon to scoop up more so Maxwell didn’t think he was disgusted by it.

“Truthfully, no. It taste like..like..-“

“Like snot?” 

“Yes.” 

The two stared at each other for a moment before Wilson snickered and Maxwell let out a chuckle. They shared a laugh, earning a few glances from some of the waiters and very few customers there. Maxwell shook his head and glanced down at the meal, nudging the little black balls with his spoon.

“It’s caviar. I’ve never been a big fan of eating fish eggs.” The magician grinned, chuckling lightly. Wilson glanced at his plate and made a face. Ew. Fish eggs.

The rest of the meal had ended up being better. They were brought out a few more samples of some French dishes that consisted of some type of prawn, an egg custard, duck, scallops, pigeon, snowbird, and a truffle for dessert. At the end of it, Wilson was stuffed. 

He and Maxwell had chatted throughout the meals, talking to one another about small things. Maxwell asked about Willow a bit more, and Wilson in return asked about Charlie. Maxwell had explained he met Charlie when he was a novice magician and without her, he may not be as famous as he was now. They were good friends and for a long time, Charlie was the only person who had his back. 

When Maxwell had finally paid, he got up and the two men exited the restaurant.

“Thank you again for..for my suit and for lunch. You’re too kind, you know? I almost feel spoiled.” The shorter man glanced at him when they stepped out. 

“Don’t mention it, pal. Everyone needs a little spoiling here and there, though I wouldn’t do it for just anyone.” He grinned, staring down at Wilson. 

He frowned at that, trying to think of what to say. Why not just change the subject? He needed to pay him back.

He reached into his back pocket and took out his wallet, fishing out the money he was going to use to rent the suit. Of course, actually purchasing the thing was more than the rental, but it was better than nothing. He handed it up to Maxwell, shaking it slightly.

“For the suit.” He told him when he got a confused look. It took the magician a moment to register, but when he did he gave Wilson a toothy grin and rolled his eyes. Maxwell extended a hand and wrapped it around Wilson’s own, giving him a smirk. 

The taller man, ignoring the look of confusion on his companion’s face, pulled Wilson towards him and connected his lips to the others. Wilson let out a noise of slight protest, his cheeks turning a scarlet as his brain registered what was happening. 

Maxwell’s free hand cupped Wilson’s cheek and attempted to deepen the kiss, pressing himself against the other man. Wilson kept his eyes open and wide, trying to figure out what he should do. He wanted to kiss back as Maxwell’s lips were warm and welcoming to him, but at the same time he didn’t know if it was right. He still didn’t know the man and he was in his right mind this time. 

Eventually, he lightly kissed him back. He felt like it was the least he could do now. Yeah. This was just a thank you. He had to make that clear too. And the other kiss clear too. This man had just spent a lot of money on him for no reason other than to hang out with him. 

Maxwell noticed he had finally returned the kiss and began to nibble on Wilson’s bottom lip, asking for an entrance. The other hesitantly allowed, moaning lightly as he felt Maxwell’s tongue rub against his own and explore his mouth. 

The kiss only lasted for a moment before Wilson pulled back, his heart racing in his chest. He panted softly, staring up at Maxwell with a light frown.

“Why’d you do that?” He questioned, his cheeks deepening in color when he glanced around to see a few people looking at them.

“Consider that a pay back. I don’t need the money, love.” He let go of his hand and cheek but not before he pressed a tender kiss to Wilson’s forehead. 

Wilson stared up at him, a bit dumbfounded. This man was too much. He was rich and handsome and well known. Shit. He was well known. Wilson looked around, noticing a few people whispering and pointing over at them. It may have been criticism or it may be jealousy from him kissing a famous person. 

“Well I enjoyed our time together, pal, but I’ve got a show tonight so I have to go rehearse with Charlie. Sorry to cut this short. I’ll grab you a cab, hm?” 

Maxwell didn’t seem to care very much about the people around them, instead he pulled out his cell phone and checked a few text messages, then began to signal for a cab. Wilson continued to stand there, looking around with slightly wide eyes. 

It didn’t take long for the cab to pull up. Maxwell opened the door for Wilson, motioning for the man to get in. The scientist tried to force out some words, but he really wasn’t sure where to begin. Maxwell was moving really fast and plus didn’t seem phased by the people that began to approach them. 

“Better get a move on, darling.” The magician leaned down to whisper to him, giving him a dark grin. Wilson lightly nodded and entered the cab, watching Maxwell slowly shut the door. 

He waved at Wilson from the outside, smiling at him through the darkened glass. 

“Where to?” He heard the cab driver ask, pulling his gaze away from the magician outside. 

Wilson gave him his address and the man began to drive off. The last thing the scientist saw was Maxwell turning around to greet the crowd of his fans and sign things or take pictures with them.


	5. Eros

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im still trying to figure out the route I’d like to go with this story. I have something in mind, but it may turn darker than I had originally intended for this to be. don’t know yet.

“I’m so glad you’re finally getting back out there.” 

“Been a while, eh? When was your last relationship, bud?” 

A groan of annoyance left the pale lips of the short scientist as he sat at the cafe table. Willow and Woodie sat in front of him, steaming mugs of different varieties of coffees in their hands. 

It had been two days since his lunch date with Maxwell. The moment the cab driver took him home, Willow began to blow up his cell with texts about pictures and videos of him and Maxwell kissing. He hadn’t believed her at first, but when he begun to look on his social medias, he knew instantly that he was fucked. 

Sure enough, there were videos and pictures of the two making out in the middle of the sidewalk. Woodie had called to ask him about it and question why his best friend hadn’t told him about his new boyfriend, but Wilson began to protest and reassure Woodie that Maxwell was nowhere near his boyfriend. To his dismay, Woodie didn’t buy it one bit.

So that’s when Wilson decided they all should meet up at the cafe near his apartment. They could hang out and he could clear things up. It was like he was digging himself an even deeper hole now. 

“I don’t know..maybe three years ago?” Wilson sighed deeply. He felt like he already had this conversation with them before. 

He stared down at the steaming, dark liquid in a purple mug. He loved coffee. It always kept him going, but he drank so much it was probably unhealthy and he loved to drink his coffee black at that. Putting so much sugar or milk in it just ruined it’s flavor in his opinion. 

“You know you’re all over the news right? They got pictures and videos of you two on Instagram and Twitter, and I saw Wendy Williams talking about it on her talk show.” Willow smirked as she scrolled through her phone. 

She held it out to Woodie and Wilson to show them the trending tag on Twitter. The pictures mainly consisted of the two men standing near the restaurant in a full embrace with their lips pressed together. The other half was just random people talking shit about them or memes the kids already began creating. Wilson frowned and glared away from the phone, his face turning pink.

“Word spreads fast, eh?” Woodie chuckled lightly, looking over at Wilson.

“I don’t know what his game is. The flirting, buying me stuff. Now he’s got me in the public eye..what if people start trying to hunt me down? What if they break into my home?” He looked over at his friends, a slightly worried expression on his face.

Willow rolled her eyes and Woodie frowned, bringing his own coffee up to take a drink of it.

“Calm down, Wilson. Nobody is gonna track you down. And if they do, tell Maxwell. It’s still weird to think that a celebrity you met on a subway is interested in you.” 

“See that’s another thing! On the subway he had some..stupid illusion trick going on and I was the only person who could see him as himself for some weird reason. Why didn’t he just do that during our date? He wanted everyone to see me kissing him, didn’t he? So I’d be harassed.” 

“So it was a date?”

“That’s not the point right now, Willow. The point is the media is making it look like we’re dating or something and I know it’s what Maxwell wanted. He probably wants the fans to come after me so I can rely on him.” Wilson huffed a bit angrily, glaring over at his friends.

“Jeez you think he’s that lousy? The man sure has done a lot for you the past few days. At least be a little kinder towards him.” Willow rolled her eyes and leaned back in the cafe chair, her arms crossed over her chest.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. He has been nice to me..I just feel weird around him, and he’s wealthy and wealthy men who are famous tend to think they can do whatever they want..so I’m just..on edge about everything.” 

The scientist explained to them, ignoring the slight glare Willow was sending towards him. Woodie seemed to be taking it all in, trying to process things. There was a moment of silence between the trio before Woodie spoke up.

“I feel like you’re just trying to make up excuses, buddy.” The lumberjack shrugged a bit, raising a brow at Wilson.

Wilson blinked, his mouth opening to speak then closing once again. Had he been making excuses this whole time? No, of course not. He was just finally understanding Maxwell’s game.

“I’m not making excuses, guys.”

“Wilson, this man hasn’t done anything wrong to you. You probably just feel uneasy around him because he’s famous and rich, and the last relationship you had with someone ended horribly.” 

He didn’t even want to think about his last relationship. It was with a guy named Wes that he had met from Willow setting Wilson up on some stupid dating app. They dated for about two years until Wes ended up leaving him to move back to his home country of France. It devastated Wilson for the longest time. He almost considered going to France with the man, but he knew that was stupid and something he would have done on a whim. 

Wes hadn’t crossed his mind in years, but thinking back on it now he could see why his friends would think he was making up excuses about Maxwell’s kindness. He was scared to get hurt again. He couldn’t deal with the thought of losing another lover, but maybe this could be different. Maybe. He didn’t know if he could really even give Maxwell a chance. 

“I guess you’re right..I don’t know. Maybe I should just..talk to him? I don’t know what I’d even say? ‘Hey there Maxwell, do you actually have some kind of crush on me even though we met like three days ago or are you just trying to get into my pants and have the media harass me haha’?” 

Woodie and Willow exchanged a glance and the pyromaniac rolled her eyes before letting out a groan. She held her hand out, glaring over at Wilson sternly. 

“Gimme your phone.”

“What? No-“

“Give it!” 

The raven haired man sighed and fished his cell phone out of his pocket before shoving it into his friend’s hands. She grinned brightly and leaned back in her chair, typing away on something. Woodie watched her, his bushy brows knit together in concentration as he gave a few nods and hums of approvals here and there. Willow finally gave him back his phone after a few minutes had passed.

“What did you do?” Wilson asked, staring down at the screen as he began to open apps to see what she had done.

“I texted Maxwell for you. He wants you to meet him after one of his shows.” Willow grinned as she explained, wiggling her eyebrows at Wilson.

The scientist opened his text messages and saw what Willow had sent the older man, Wilson’s face turning a scarlet color.

‘Hey it’s Wilson I was wondering if you’re busy tonight?’

‘Hello, my darling. I apologize for not contacting you sooner, but I’ve been so overworked lately. I am indeed busy since I have a show tonight, but afterwards I’m free.’

‘Oh great. Can we talk somewhere privately?’

‘Of course, love. I can come visit your home if you don’t mind?” 

After that Willow sent Maxwell the address to Wilson’s apartment and a bunch of kissy face emojis. He shot her a glare, but his heart began to beat a little faster. 

He sighed and looked up at her again, ignoring the cocky smile on her lips. 

“Thank you, Willow.” He muttered, drumming his fingers nervously on the table. His friend gave a grin and a shrug, leaning back once more.

“No problem. Try to seriously get laid this time.” She laughed, making Woodie’s eyes widened and look over at Wilson with a confused stare. 

Wilson shook his head, not wanting to explain. The logical part of him wanted to be pissed that Willow gave this man his location. He still wasn’t 100% certain about him. He could be a creeper or something. The other part of him was a bit giddy at the though of having Maxwell over. They could be alone. They could talk normally and Wilson could maybe bring up some things that had been eating at him. Maybe this was for the best.

After a few more moments of hanging with his friends, Wilson decided to head home and try to clean up his apartment just a tad. It was a bit messy with science books laying around, dirty dishes in the sink and his unmade bed. He really had to get on top of things. 

He also made sure to take a shower and wear something a little more casual than he had when meeting Maxwell and so forth. He put on a dark grey hoodie and some black jogging shorts, along with some black ankle socks that he liked to wear when he was feeling lazy. 

He really hoped that Maxwell wouldn’t judge him and the way he lived. His home wasn’t anything spectacular and it probably was nothing compared to where Maxwell lived. He was sure that man probably lived in a nice penthouse in the middle of New York City. It probably had a nice view of things and was decorated in a minimalist style. He could only imagine. 

The man took a seat on his couch and turned on his tv, flipping through random shows. He stopped on some stupid show that did updates on famous individuals. Of course, the stupid picture of the two kissing resurfaced. Wilson frowned a bit and took his time examining it.

His face was flushed, eyes closed. Maxwell’s body was pressed tightly against his own and the man was cupping his cheek with one hand and had his other resting on Wilson’s waist. Maxwell’s own cheeks were slightly pink and it made Wilson lightly smile. It was a bit cute. 

“The man hasn’t been identified, but sources say that they saw said man at one of Maxwell’s shows last Saturday. A few claims have surfaced about this man exiting Maxwell’s dressing room after the show had ended. It’s obvious there is something going on between these two. Could Maxwell Carter have a boyfriend? If so, we need all the gossip on this!” 

A sassy, little reporter woman grinned as she sat with another woman on a white couch. The other woman began to talk about how surprising it was for Maxwell to take interest in someone who wasn’t a model or actor or someone remotely well known. His past relationships had been with equally famous people and people of similar social classes so this was new. They found it odd he was dating some random stranger. 

Wilson’s smile faltered and he shook his head before he turned the tv off. He didn’t want to listen to those women any more. They may start seriously bashing him and he didn’t need to hear that right now. 

He glanced down at the clock on his phone and sighed softly. He wasn’t even sure when Maxwell’s stupid show would end. If it was the same time that the one Saturday was, then it would end soon. Soon he could talk to him and have him to himself. 

About two hours had passed and no word from Maxwell came. Wilson ended up watching some random movie that he found while looking through his TV. About thirty minutes into it, he fell asleep on the couch. He felt a bit hurt that Maxwell hadn’t rang or texted him, but the other part of him tried to act like it wasn’t a big deal. But it kinda was. He just didn’t want to admit that.

The sound of his cell phone ringing awoke him. He just light and slowly got up, giving a grunt. He stretched out his sore limbs in the process. Wilson rubbed the sleep from his eyes and glanced over at the screeching device before he grabbed it and accepted the call.

“Hello?” 

“I’m outside. Can you let me in, darling?” Ah. It was Maxwell.

Wilson’s heart fluttered and he held back a smile. He got up and walked over to the door, unlocking the latch at the top. He pulled the door back and locked eyes with the dark magician.

That man’s eyes never seemed to not knock the breath outta him. They were so dark and predatorily. They made him feel small and helpless, but it was something he had begun to accept and yearn for. He liked the feeling of being small and cared for from the other man. He’d never say that aloud though or admit it to himself. 

“You look adorable.” Was the first words that left Maxwell’s lips as he hung up his phone.

Wilson’s cheeks turned pink and he cleared his throat, stepping aside to let Maxwell in. His heart was in his throat as he watched the man throughout. He entered the house slowly and politely shut the door behind him. He removed the dark brownish colored jacket he was wearing and his shoes to be respectful. 

“I don’t, but alright. It’s nice to see you again.” He told the older man, giving him a small smile. Maxwell nodded in a return and glanced around Wilson’s home, admiring the decor and coziness.

“I’d say the same. Ever since our lunch I’ve yearned for another date with you.” The man smiled over at him and began to approach him, making Wilson freeze up slightly.

He held his breath as Maxwell finally made his way over to him. The man’s musky cologne soon took over his sense and his big, warm hands were placed upon Wilson’s waist. He leaned in to Maxwell, cursing himself slightly. He didn’t want to give into him, but if just felt right. 

“Do you..consider this a date?” Wilson mumbled, looking up at him. Those dark eyes bore into his own honey ones. They were enchanting and easy to get lost in.

“I may, though I would prefer something a bit more classier, but your home is lovely..it’s quaint.” Maxwell snickered, making the other man blush furiously and roll his eyes.

Wilson didn’t get a chance to reply before he felt those thick lips on his own again. He let out a small noise of surprise, but sighed lightly at the feeling of warmth and slight comfort from another person. He leaned in and allowed Maxwell this kiss. It only lasted for a moment before he felt Maxwell pull away.

“So what did you want to talk about?” The magician let go of Wilson’s frame and lead him over to take a seat on the man’s couch.

Wilson blinked himself from his daze and wracked his brain of how to start off the conversation. He didn’t want to just blurt out his weird emotions, but he if he didn’t he’d never tell him at all.

“Have you seen the news lately? The picture of us kissing is spreading.” He told him like he already didn’t know. 

Maxwell gave a nod and leaned back into the couch, his legs crossed as always. He sat there quietly for a moment, giving a hum in thought.

“I have. I’ve gotten many questions too about you. Everyone is dying to know who you are and what we are.” The taller man shrugged, staring down at Wilson with his dark gaze.

“And what..exactly are we?” Wilson choked out, fiddling with his hands as he clasped them together tightly. His heart pounded as he asked that and he felt Maxwell move closer to him.

“What would you like to be?” Maxwell’s voice lowered as he placed a hand upon Wilson’s thigh, squeezing it gently.

The smaller man shivered and held back a noise, staring up at him. He felt almost hypnotized by the man. He just wanted to lean up and kiss him then and there. Did Maxwell put some spell on him? Was this a magic trick? Was he purposefully making Wilson fall for him? 

He bit his lip and grabbed Maxwell’s hand that was placed on his thigh, holding it tightly. It made the older man blink and give him a curious look, but he pulled back some.

“I don’t know.. We only met a bit ago..we’re still strangers to one another and..” He cursed to himself, closing his eyes tightly as he tried to make sense of his feelings towards this man.

Maxwell watched him with a cocked brow. He saw the scrunched up face Wilson was making and the small look of sadness that crossed his features. The magician pulled his hand away and cupped Wilson’s cheek, rubbing his thumb across the man’s cheekbone.

“Let’s talk.” Maxwell sighed softly, making Wilson open his eyes and stare up at him with a frown. He gave a nod and Maxwell pulled away from him to sit back calmly.

“Okay..look..you seem to be a great man, okay? You’re famous, you’re rich, you’re good looking, blah blah, but I just can’t shake this weird feeling. You don’t know anything about me, and I don’t know a lot about you, yet you took an interest in me out of the blue. It just makes me unsteady. Plus you put me in the public eye which makes me nervous..” He slumped back as he admitted all of this to the other man, not making eye contact.

Maxwell was silent for a second, but he let out a low chuckle moments later, startling Wilson.

“Awe, pal. I didn’t mean to shake you up so much. I took an interest in you because I found you cute. You’re very charming as well, and I would love to know every thing about you if you’d allow me to do so. I may come off a little strong, but that’s because I’m such a busy man and can’t beat around the bush nowadays.” The man shrugged, staring over at him with a warm smile. 

Wilson’s face was red from the compliments, but he continued to have a slight melancholy look to his face. He just wanted to know this man, and he was relieved the other felt the same. 

“Okay..what do you want to know?”

“Anything. Your family, your friends, whatever you wanna talk about, darling.” The older man hummed and Wilson gave a slow nod at every word.

“Okay..well my two closest friends are Willow and Woodie..Willow was kinda the one who sent you the text messages..” He chuckled a bit nervously, giving a shrug and leaning back into his couch. 

Wilson explained how he met both Willow and Woodie, he explained his family situation and he also talked about some of his random interests, mainly science. He talked about some of his recent experiments that he conducted, skipping past the part about them failing, and how he had always had a knack for it when he was younger. 

During all of this, Maxwell stared at him with a loving gaze and a smile, drinking in every word the man spoke. Wilson had not noticed the man’s hand had resumed it’s previous spot on his thigh until he felt Maxwell’s finger tips gently trace patterns into his soft flesh. He didn’t mind at that point, he just kept going on with his long tangent about science. 

When he had finally worn himself out and felt like he had talked the older man’s ear off, he stopped and looked up at him to see if he had bored him to death. To his surprise, Maxwell was still staring at him happily, smiling down at him. It made Wilson’s stomach churn and his heart squeeze. 

“Sounds like you have a very interesting little life.” The magician grinned with a hint of playfulness and tease in his tone. 

Wilson snorted in response, giving a small shrug. He wasn’t sure how to reply. His life probably wasn’t as interesting as the other man’s. He was a celebrity, of course. 

“I guess so. What about you? How did you become a magician and stuff?” 

Maxwell gave a small hum at the question, giving Wilson’s thigh a gentle squeeze before he began to speak. 

“Well..I was about seventeen when I first decided I wanted to actually be on stage. The funny thing was, I had horrible strange fright. I was a nervous little thing, you see. I was sure about becoming a magician until I went and saw this man preform some feats back in London. He caught a bullet in between his teeth and it was something that always stuck with me because it was so astounding. It ended up being the first trick I performed for an audience.” He chuckled, grinning proudly as he told his story.

“I ended up moving from London to New York when I was twenty with my older brother. I attended college here and whatnot. I never took any magic classes like other magicians because I was just..hm..blessed at birth. I didn’t think I’d become as famous as I am now, but life is full of surprises, hm?” He finished with that thought, sliding his hand up Wilson’s thigh and making the other man fidget slightly.

“I-I see..so things have always been in your favor then?” Wilson chuckled, a hint of envy passing through him, but he quickly diminished it.

He wondered what it would be like to be a famous scientist. Someone who had made some type of discovery of a new element or animal or plant..or maybe someone who even found a cure for a cancer or something. He wished he could achieve that. He wish he could have his name in flashing lights and get the recognition he deserved. 

“You could say that. Ya know, pal, I can have just about anything I want at any given moment,” He said that win a rather large grin, almost as if he were flaunting his hubris to Wilson. 

“,but..the one thing I want right now can’t be bought over so inexpensively.” 

Wilson cocked a bushy brow up as he turned towards Maxwell, holding back the little whine in his throat that dared to slip out when the man’s hand caressed the very inner part of his thigh near his groin. 

The magician gave him a small squeeze, moving closer towards Wilson until the smaller man could feel his breath fan over his face. He shivered lightly, goosebumps aligning his exposed legs. 

“And..what’s that?” Wilson panted out, subconsciously pressing into the warmth of the magician’s hand. 

He felt Maxwell move a hand up and cup his cheek. He felt the man’s gloved thumb rub across his cheekbone for a second, and then across his bottom lip, then he pulled it away. Maxwell was warm, almost feverishly, but whenever he touched Wilson he left him feeling cold. 

His thick lips were soon placed upon the nook of Wilson’s neck, peppering wet kisses here and there. His teeth, the sharp things they were, occasionally grazed over the pale flesh and jugular vein. It made the little scientist whimper out and grab onto Maxwell’s sleeve to steady himself. 

He felt him move up and place a kiss on his earlobe before giving it a few nibbles. Then he said the one thing that Wilson had shamefully wanted to hear. 

“You.”


End file.
